When Friends Get Together Hearts Are Happy
Back in December (12/14/13) I had this amazing Girl's Get Together at my house. I posted here how much I was looking forward to the event, but I never actually got around to telling you about how wonderful the evening turned out to be. I know it was in December, but I want to write about it and show you pictures. :)
I started thinking about having a Get Together sometime in October. I thought, "Can I get my act together to actually pull this off the way I have it pictured in my mind?" When I plan something, it's either GO BIG or GO HOME, so I knew it would be quite the undertaking. I thought about it for days, wavering back and forth, "no, yes, no, yes." I finally just took the plunge and said, "I'm going to do it." I went to Hallmark and bought some pretty invitations and I wrote a letter to send along with each invitation. The letter explains WHY I wanted to host this gathering. Here is a copy of the letter:
I started thinking about having a Get Together sometime in October. I thought, "Can I get my act together to actually pull this off the way I have it pictured in my mind?" When I plan something, it's either GO BIG or GO HOME, so I knew it would be quite the undertaking. I thought about it for days, wavering back and forth, "no, yes, no, yes." I finally just took the plunge and said, "I'm going to do it." I went to Hallmark and bought some pretty invitations and I wrote a letter to send along with each invitation. The letter explains WHY I wanted to host this gathering. Here is a copy of the letter:
Dear
Girlfriends,
I
want to have a special evening with you. I want to say “Thank you” for your
encouragement, loyalty, support, love and friendship, especially over the last
several months.
Some
of you I’ve known nearly my entire life, others have joined me at various ages
and stages. Wherever we met or however we came to be friends, I am honored and
blessed. I am grateful for the friendships that we share.
I
am hosting this evening in your honor. I hope that you will all be able to join
me. I am feeling especially grateful for all you are to me and because you are
very special to me, I want everyone to meet each other so that as the days go
forward and we talk, we will be able to put names to faces and by so doing,
share this journey called Life.
I
am inviting my daughter to join us. I want her to know what true friendship is
all about. I want her to see it. She knows about each one of you and now my
friends are also her friends—or more like “another mother.” I pray she will find “sisters of the heart”
as I have, and know what it is to have friends who are actually family.
I
have been blessed beyond measure and more than what I deserve, with the gift of
our friendships. So please join me, and let’s all celebrate this circle of
sisters.
With much
love,
Dawn
So you see, it was to be a very special time with only very special people. I have a lot of friends and I love them all, but there is a CORE group of friends in everyone's life that are "just the ones"... it was this group that I wanted to target this time.
The invitations were sent and I commenced planning and shopping and making my list of "To Do's." I decided on a Winter Theme--snowmen, hot chocolate, snowflakes, etc... This was a party about FRIENDSHIP; I wanted something to pull it all together. "Friendship Warms the Heart" --ta-daa!! I called on the help of another friend who is an incredible party planner. She let me borrow some of her decorations and she printed some signs and name tags for me. This woman is awesome! The colors I chose: hot pink, lime green, bright blue. I wanted to have time to emphasize the details because everyone knows to have a successful "talked about for ages to come" party, it's all about the details. :) I also made the very wise decision not to cook. I had our dinner catered and it was a smash hit! I also decided I didn't have time to clean the house, so I had someone else clean it. Both of these decisions turned out saving me and keeping me from complete mental meltdown. I will do this from now on! I got to focus on all the decorations and making this event special for my friends. I even took "Friday" off so I could get everything done that needed doing. I had the best time getting ready for this event. I was super excited knowing my best friends in the world were going to be here all together, with me, in one place for an incredible night of love and laughter, and a few tears as it turned out, but they were good tears. A few of the girls could not be here for one reason or the other. I missed them terribly, but I knew they were here in Spirit.
The evening turned out better than I could have imagined. My house looked so pretty and I felt good about how it all came together so beautifully. The caterer was late, but he was very apologetic and we were good because most of us were already drinking wine and of course everyone was busy talking about something. The atmosphere just felt good. It felt right and for this night, this house was filled with so much happy! The girls started arriving around 5:30... drinks and appetizers and conversation. We ate dinner (food so delicious) and continued talking. After dinner, we all gathered in the living room--all 13 of us, circle style. I wanted to tell all of these special women how much I appreciated them being here and what an honor it was for me to have them all in one place for this night of friendship celebration. After the "thank you for being here" speech, each person introduced themselves and shared how we came to be friends--where we met, how we met and a story of some sort. It was humorous to say the least! My daughter shared as well. Some of my friends are like "second mothers" to her and she knows many of my high school friends or has heard me talk about them so much she feels like she knows them. Some have known her since she was born. She heard stories about her mother that she had never heard. She got to know me/see me in a different light. I was a girl once who had fun, lots of fun. I wasn't just her mother; I have stories too. She was touched and moved by the outpouring of love and realized that this love has also been extended to her. Mission accomplished.
What a special time of sharing! Some things I had forgotten about and others seemed just like yesterday. So many memories shared and I realized once again how blessed I am to have these girls in my life. These friends have been my lifeblood. We have shared LIFE together. It's all so amazing to me. I sat there, looking at each one, feeling so grateful and so humbled by their love for me. I saw My Girl and was so glad she was here in the midst of these women getting a glimpse of what it means to have lifetime friends, real Sisters of the Heart. It was a most incredible night. I will treasure this moment for the rest of my life and when my days get heavy and the burdens are just too much, I will try to go back here, to December 14, 2013, and remember the JOY, the LOVE, the LAUGHTER and know that I am not alone, ever.
Thank you for being in my life! I celebrate you every single day!! ... Brown, Weezy, Flea, JJ, Goo, Joyce, Becky, Clara, Katie, Fletcher, Kelly and my sweet girl, Katelyn. (and to the ones who couldn't be here, Burbs, BP and Bay you were sorely missed.)
To the Moon and Back My Friends!!
xoxoxo
Here are some pictures of the special night...
So you see, it was to be a very special time with only very special people. I have a lot of friends and I love them all, but there is a CORE group of friends in everyone's life that are "just the ones"... it was this group that I wanted to target this time.
The invitations were sent and I commenced planning and shopping and making my list of "To Do's." I decided on a Winter Theme--snowmen, hot chocolate, snowflakes, etc... This was a party about FRIENDSHIP; I wanted something to pull it all together. "Friendship Warms the Heart" --ta-daa!! I called on the help of another friend who is an incredible party planner. She let me borrow some of her decorations and she printed some signs and name tags for me. This woman is awesome! The colors I chose: hot pink, lime green, bright blue. I wanted to have time to emphasize the details because everyone knows to have a successful "talked about for ages to come" party, it's all about the details. :) I also made the very wise decision not to cook. I had our dinner catered and it was a smash hit! I also decided I didn't have time to clean the house, so I had someone else clean it. Both of these decisions turned out saving me and keeping me from complete mental meltdown. I will do this from now on! I got to focus on all the decorations and making this event special for my friends. I even took "Friday" off so I could get everything done that needed doing. I had the best time getting ready for this event. I was super excited knowing my best friends in the world were going to be here all together, with me, in one place for an incredible night of love and laughter, and a few tears as it turned out, but they were good tears. A few of the girls could not be here for one reason or the other. I missed them terribly, but I knew they were here in Spirit.
The evening turned out better than I could have imagined. My house looked so pretty and I felt good about how it all came together so beautifully. The caterer was late, but he was very apologetic and we were good because most of us were already drinking wine and of course everyone was busy talking about something. The atmosphere just felt good. It felt right and for this night, this house was filled with so much happy! The girls started arriving around 5:30... drinks and appetizers and conversation. We ate dinner (food so delicious) and continued talking. After dinner, we all gathered in the living room--all 13 of us, circle style. I wanted to tell all of these special women how much I appreciated them being here and what an honor it was for me to have them all in one place for this night of friendship celebration. After the "thank you for being here" speech, each person introduced themselves and shared how we came to be friends--where we met, how we met and a story of some sort. It was humorous to say the least! My daughter shared as well. Some of my friends are like "second mothers" to her and she knows many of my high school friends or has heard me talk about them so much she feels like she knows them. Some have known her since she was born. She heard stories about her mother that she had never heard. She got to know me/see me in a different light. I was a girl once who had fun, lots of fun. I wasn't just her mother; I have stories too. She was touched and moved by the outpouring of love and realized that this love has also been extended to her. Mission accomplished.
What a special time of sharing! Some things I had forgotten about and others seemed just like yesterday. So many memories shared and I realized once again how blessed I am to have these girls in my life. These friends have been my lifeblood. We have shared LIFE together. It's all so amazing to me. I sat there, looking at each one, feeling so grateful and so humbled by their love for me. I saw My Girl and was so glad she was here in the midst of these women getting a glimpse of what it means to have lifetime friends, real Sisters of the Heart. It was a most incredible night. I will treasure this moment for the rest of my life and when my days get heavy and the burdens are just too much, I will try to go back here, to December 14, 2013, and remember the JOY, the LOVE, the LAUGHTER and know that I am not alone, ever.
Thank you for being in my life! I celebrate you every single day!! ... Brown, Weezy, Flea, JJ, Goo, Joyce, Becky, Clara, Katie, Fletcher, Kelly and my sweet girl, Katelyn. (and to the ones who couldn't be here, Burbs, BP and Bay you were sorely missed.)
To the Moon and Back My Friends!!
xoxoxo
Here are some pictures of the special night...
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| I made these cutesy Snowmen for each person in attendance! |
 |
| The Goose was a gift from another high school friend. He sent it b/c he knows Goose makes any party so much better! |
 |
| Me, Fletcher, Joyce (2 of my high schools Buds--Joyce since we were 8 years old!) |
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| Joyce and My Girl, Katelyn |
 |
| The incredible Hot Chocolate Bar! Love it! Love it! |
 |
| complete with a glow light! :) |
What a wonderful night!!! Loved meeting all of the friends. we need to do that again!!! Spring time???? Wonderful. I don't know what else to say. I love you!! Brown
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